CONCERT: A.A. Bondy & Elvis Perkins In Dearland

We made another trip down to Bloomington for yet another great show last night, this time A.A. Bondy and Elvis Perkins In Dearland at the Video Saloon. Bloomington is now 4 for 4. Good work everyone! Keep it up!

Bondy was relaxed and playful, cracking wry jokes between songs and laughing at the screaming co-eds running around outside the venue (oh college). He weaved his songs into a dense atmosphere, letting each song fade in and out and hang in the air as his band made their way through the short set. There was a lot of fuzz – showing that Bondy hasn’t totally forsaken his Verbena days – especially on his completely rocked out take on “Killed Myself When I Was Young”. I may have been pumping my fist on that one. It was pretty awesome.

As great as it was to see A.A. Bondy, it actually ended up being Elvis Perkins who really made my night. A few years ago I really enjoyed Ash Wednesday, and I listened to his new record once or twice earlier this year, but that’s about as much as I know about Elvis Perkins. Well after last night’s set, I’m determined to mine the depths of Mr. Perkin’s music – because he’s making some, and it’s amazing. His band (which is only three plus Elvis) is perfect, jumping from horns to upright bass to squeeze box to guitar to one of those drum-and-cymbal-on-your-chest-contraptions (you know? kind of like this?), and they made this amazing music gleaned from the early annals of recorded American music. Their takes on the old Sacred Heart traditionals “Weeping Mary” and “Weeping Pilgrim” were nothing less than inspired, and those were just the covers! Really. You can count me as an Elvis Perkins In Dearland fan. Because wow. That was great.

mp3: A.A. Bondy – The Mightiest of Guns
from his Daytrotter Session (Download the whole set at Daytrotter)

mp3: Elvis Perkins In Dearland – Doomsday
from the album Elvis Perkins In Dearland (iTunes/Amazon)

The setlists and a few blurry photos after the jump…

A.A. Bondy’s setlist:

The Mightiest of Guns

A Slow Parade

There’s A Reason

World Without End  (solo)

Oh The Vampyre  (solo)

When The Devil’s Loose

Killed Myself When I Was Young (with Dearland)*

Instrumental (with Dearland)*

I Can See The Pines Are Dancing (with Elvis Perkins In Dearland)

*(I’m not sure how to refer to Elvis Perkins In Dearland without Elvis. Just Dearland I guess?)

And Elvis Perkins In Dearland’s set:

While You Were Sleeping

Hey

Slow Doomsday (with A.A. Bondy)

Chains Chains Chains

I Heard Your Voice In Dresden

Weeping Mary

Weeping Pilgrim

Gypsy Davy (traditional)

Stop Drop Rock & Roll

Ash Wednesday

All The Night Without Love

Stay Zombie Stay

Shampoo

Encore:

Doomsday

**Like I said, I don’t know Elvis’s stuff too well – but I’m pretty sure this setlist is right.

A.A. Bondy:

And Elvis Perkins:

(pictures by Kristin)